University Web Sites Effectiveness Benchmarked in New Internet Study
2 April 2006
Boston, MA (PRWEB) March 30, 2006 -- According to the Internet Standards Assessment Report (ISAR) released by the Web Marketing Association, University Web sites are generally in line with the ISAR Index with the exception of significant underperformance in 2001. However, they significantly lag the 3-year criteria averages across the board. The ISAR study provides industry benchmarks for Web site development and is based on data collected from 9,748 Web site evaluations in more than 80 industries over the past decade. A copy of the full report can be downloaded at http://www.webaward.org/isar_report.asp.
«University Web development sits in between a generally conservative fiscally-minded administration and an extremely Web-savvy student body,» said William Rice, president of the Web Marketing Association. «The best university Web sites have been able to overcome this gap and provide a wide range of information and tools, such as online registration, to their students and perhaps even more importantly their perspective students.»
Since 1997, the Web Marketing Association has been conducting its annual WebAward Competition for Web site development. The Internet Standards Assessment Report is the results of nearly a decade of independent evaluations of Web site development based on seven categories: design, innovation, content, technology, interactivity, copywriting and ease of use.
Here are some of the past WebAwards Best University Web site winners.
2005 San Diego State University Timeline - http://www.sdsumonth.com/timeline/index.html
2004 School of Visual Arts Website – http://www.schoolofvisualarts.edu/
2003 Chestnut Hill College Admissions Site - http://www.chc.edu/
A complete list of past winners can be found at http://university.webaward.org
The WebAwards also has a category for education. Here are some of the past WebAwards Best Education Web site winners.
2005 Hot Shot Business - http://www.hotshotbusiness.com/
2004 GMability Education - http://gmability.com/education
2003 Hot Shot Business (Best of Show) - http://www.hotshotbusiness.com/
A complete list of past winners can be found at http://university.webaward.org
Colleges and Universities wishing to have their education Web site evaluated against the ISAR Index and be considered for a WebAward, which can help boost a Web site's credibility and marketing efforts, can nominate their site at http://www.webawards2006.org.
«Of course, as in every industry, there are college Web sites that stand out and others that don't make the grade,» concluded Rice. «Our goal has always been to be more than just a popularity or beauty contest that rewards brand names and good design. Instead, this ISAR study is designed to return some value to every entrant with input as to what Internet professionals should strive for in their Web site development efforts in an objective, empirical and constructive way.»
About the WebAwards
The 10th annual international WebAwards competition sets the standard of excellence in 95 industry categories by evaluating Web sites and defining benchmarks based on the seven essential criteria of successful Web site development. The goal of the Web Marketing Association, sponsor of the WebAwards, is to provide a forum to recognize the people and organizations responsible for developing some of the most effective Web sites on the Internet today. Entrants benefit from a Web site assessment by a professional judging panel and the marketing opportunities presented to an award-winning Web site. For more information, visit http://www.webawards2006.org.
Note to Editors: If you would like to receive a chart comparing two or more of the industries within the 2006 ISAR Study, please contact William Rice at wrice @ webaward.org
For additional information contact:
William Rice
President, Web Marketing Association, Inc.
(860) 558-5423 or wrice @ webaward.org
Source: prweb
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